Grabbing a Drink at Portland’s Only Bottle Shaped Bar, the Sandy Jug

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While living in Portland I would sometimes find myself passing by a massive jug, solidly painted maroon. Inside? A strip club dubbed Pirate’s Cove. I always sighed, and bemoaned the fact it was a strip club. Here was a beautiful example of programatic architecture, and it was a strip club? And not even painted well? Thankfully a few years ago all that changed, and it has reopened as a tavern.

Designed by Portland architects Bennes & Herzog and built in 1929, it opened as The Orange Blossom Jug, a gas station and luncheonette by a police detective’s wife, Lottie M. Phillips. While it survived the Great Depression, it reportedly sat vacant 1940 through 1950, and eventually was turned into the strip club I knew it as. The strip club shuttered in 2023, and was purchased by Warren Boothby and Marcus Archambeault.

Overall of the Sandy Jug, which is a building shaped like a jug, painted a pale cream. The very top is painted brown, with a gold stopper. Around the shoulder of the bottle are gold circles with roses painted in the middle. A door sits in the middle, with a blue neon sign reading "Cocktails" above, on either side of the door are windows of glass blocks.

A red sign reads "Sandy Jug Est. 1929"

The pair already had three other Portland bars in their cap, including the 1930s establishment Holman’s, the north Portland tiki bar The Alibi, and another Sandy Boulevard bar, the Sandy Hut. When interviewed by the Oregonian,  Archambeault said “We’re not prudes or anything. We’re not afraid of strip clubs. But we’ve never run one before, and I’m too old to figure that out. And certainly our wives think we’re too old to figure that out too.” So instead of sticking with the strip club, they decided to go with what they know, and patrons can now grab a bite and wet their whistle. The exterior got a nice new paint job and a small “cocktails” neon sign. Inside, natural light from the glass block windows lets you see the bottle’s bizarre construction. The space is small and intimate, with a combination of rounded booths around the edge of the bottle shaped portion, and tables and chairs as it moves towards bar seating. During the warmer months patrons can enjoy a fenced in patio.

Overall of the Sandy Jug, which is a building shaped like a jug, painted a pale cream. The very top is painted brown, with a gold stopper. Around the shoulder of the bottle are gold circles with roses painted in the middle. A door sits in the middle, with a blue neon sign reading "Cocktails" above, on either side of the door are windows of glass blocks.

A large menu board advertises specials.

Interior where the building transitions from the rounded bottle shaped room to a larger space.

A white sign reads "Sandy Jug Tavern"

Close-up of one of the roses painted on the outside.

The complex and bizarre interior construction.

The menu at the Sandy Jug.

A hand painted sign reads "Order at Bar"

Interior of the Sandy Jug.

Overall of the Sandy Jug, which is a building shaped like a jug, painted a pale cream. The very top is painted brown, with a gold stopper. Around the shoulder of the bottle are gold circles with roses painted in the middle. A door sits in the middle, with a blue neon sign reading "Cocktails" above, on either side of the door are windows of glass blocks.

Sit down inside one of Portland’s last examples of programatic architecture at the Sandy Jug, located at 7417 NE Sandy Boulevard in Portland. Find out about their theme nights via their Instagram!

Sources
Russell, Michael. “Strip club no more, ‘renowned’ Sandy Jug returns with new owners, tavern concept.” The Oregonian, 25 January 2024.

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